Chapter Ten
Dawn was dressed and reluctantly went downstairs for dinner had requested her presence and she didn't want to defy him. She had hoed that by some miracle he would set her free, but it was more remote than she believed. Depression was beginning to set in and she didn't know what she wanted more. Did she want to learn how to love him and remain as his lover, or escape her bondage through death. As strong as she wanted to be, she was scared of dying. Scared of being hurt. She only knew one truth, that Chris was dead and it wouldn't change. Dawn left her bedroom and slowly walked down the hall to the stairs. With an almost blank expression on her face, she walked into the large living room. Dawn sighed and walked through it, not paying attention to her surroundings. She slide the glass doors open and walked onto the patio. The moon shined through a clear night sky. She felt herself as a woman caught up in some dark fairy tail. She finally had someone who would give her the love and attention she wanted, but she hated him. “Chris, I wish you were here. I know you're looking down on me and I'm sorry that I can't be with you now, and that I wasn't in the beginning and I'm sorry.”
Suddenly, Dawn felt two arms gently hold her. She closed her eyes as she was kissed on her neck. “I'm sorry for earlier, but you have to learn to love me,” Michael said.
She turned around looking at him. “Why me? Why not someone else?”
“you are the one I picked. You don't need to know why,” he said. “I will tell you this. You can learn to love me the hard way, or the easy way. It's up to you.” Michael took her hand and led her into the dinning room. Captain Hernandez stood to his feet as they walked in. He was a short robust man with a plain and simple look. He was in charge of the small army and placed in charged of Cora at Michael's hand. He inflicted horrors on the people of Cora according to Michael's orders, forcing the men to work in the fields and the women in production or as sex slaves for his men.
“Captain, I would like you to meet Dawn,” Michael said introducing them. “Dawn, this is Captain Hernandez.”
“May I say that you are a very lovely woman,” he said taking her hand and kissing it. Michael held the chair as Dawn sat down. She remained quiet as he rang the small bell.
Dawn kept her attention on the man who held her captive. She knew that he would visit her room tomorrow in violence or tenderness, depending on what she did. Michael became annoyed and rang the bell again, wondering why it was taking so long for his servant to come out. Finally, the older man came out carrying a large tray and apologized for the delay. Captain Hernandez excused himself for a moment and when he left the room, Michael took Dawn's hand and looked into her eyes. “I just wanted to make sure you know that your lesson will start again tomorrow,” he told her.
Dawn looked at him with nothing, but hatred in her eyes. She knew he would take her by force, but he could never take love. It belonged to only one person. She smiled warmly, then said, “You will have to kill me first! Do you understand that?” She felt some satisfaction when Michael's expression changed and let her hand go.
“Why do you refuse me? Nothing will change. You will be here and I will have you, no matter what!,” he told her.
“You can have my body all you want, but you will have to fight to get it. As far as my love goes, someone already has it. It'll never be taken away.”
A laugh escaped Michael's throat. “You still hold something for that fed, but we shall see,” he told her.
After dinner, Dawn stood out on the patio while Michael and Hernandez remained in the dinning room. She stared out into the dark wilderness caught in her own thoughts. Something was bothering her and she didn't know what, besides everything else. It had something to do with Chris, but she didn't know what. Dawn brushed back the hair from her face, she thought of his love.
“Dawn, go to your room!,” Michael ordered.
She spun around and he was stunned by her beauty. The moon light shinned down on her making her look like a dream than anything else. “Why? Are you worried that I'm going to try to escape?,” she asked.
“I see that I'm going to have to teach you a much stronger lesson. One you won't soon forget,” he told her. “Now go to your room!”
Dawn wanted so desperately to stand her ground, but she was tired and complying would keep him content for a moment. She walked passed him and into the living room and up the steps to her bedroom.
#
The next morning Dawn woke up to Juanita opening the drapes. She sat up and stretched before rubbing her eyes. “Good morning, Juanita.”
“Good morning, Ma'am.”
“Please stop calling me that. Call me Dawn.”
“I don't think that I should. Mr. Rodriguez gave me instructions not to call you by your first name,” Juanita told her.
“Juanita, I think you're a nice person and I just need someone to talk to. Without that Michael will drive me crazy,” Dawn said.
“Your bath is ready and I will lay your clothes out,” Juanita said.
There was a knock on the door before it opened. Michael stood in the doorway looking at Dawn. She became fearful and wanted to hide behind Juanita for protection, but knew she couldn't help her. “Juanita, excuse us,” he said walking into the room.
“Yes, Mr. Rodriguez,” she said, then left the room.
The door was shut and locked as Juanita stood in the hallway. She could hear Dawn begging and pleading before she started screaming. Tears rolled down from her eyes as she leaned against the wall. Juanita knew that it was happening all over again. She was there when Michael's former wife, Maria, suffered at his hand. First it was the beatings, then the rape. Maria never complained and led everyone to believe that all was well, but Juanita knew different. She saw how Maria Rodriguez suffered until she killed herself. Now it was happening all over again. She knew it had to stop it. Juanita didn't want to see Dawn end up like Maria. Fifteen minutes later, the door opened and Michael walked out zipping up his pants. “Make sure she gets cleaned up,” he ordered before walking down the hall. Juanita walked into the room and saw Dawn laying on the bed crying. Her nightgown had been ripped off her and blood was splattered on the sheets. Her face was bruised and messy.
“Dawn!”
She looked up at the maid's face and asked, “Please kill me. I want this to end now.”
#
Michael was sitting in the back seat of his car, ten minutes from arriving in Cora. He held his hurting right hand while thinking of what he'd done to Dawn. He knew that she now believed his sincerity and would change her mind. Passing through Cora, he was driven out to the fields he owned. The Rodriguez Cartel had been prosperous, but lately there had been some problems with the workers. The car stopped and Tony opened the door. Michael stepped out of the car wearing his black double breasted suit looking around at the workers in the field. “So, Tony what's the problem?”
Tony snapped his fingers and three men, who carried high powered riffles, forced two men and a woman towards them. “They tried to run away, and now they refused to work,” he explained. Michael looked into the each of their faces and saw hatred. The same hatred he saw in Dawn's eyes. The woman spat on the ground in front of him. “You will die at the hands of the people!,” she shouted. His blood boiled raising his anger to a new level. “Your small band of revolutionaries will be crushed!,” he told her.
“Tony, hang them in the field and set them on fire, so they can all see what will happen if they defy me!”
“Yes, Michael,” Tony said snapping his fingers.